Power operated rotary knives are widely used in meat processing facilities for meat cutting and trimming operations. Power operated rotary knives also have application in a variety of other industries where cutting and/or trimming operations need to be performed quickly and with less effort than would be the case if traditional manual cutting or trimming tools were used, e.g., long knives, scissors, nippers, etc. By way of example, power operated rotary knives may be effectively utilized for such diverse tasks as taxidermy; cutting and trimming of elastomeric or urethane foam for a variety of applications, including vehicle seats; and tissue removal or debriding in connection with medical/surgical procedures and/or tissue recovery from a body of a human or animal donor.
Power operated rotary knives typically include a head assembly and a handle assembly. The handle assembly includes an elongated central core and a hand piece mounted on the elongated central core. The hand piece includes a gripping surface to be grasped by an operator or user to manipulate the power operated rotary knife. The elongated central core includes a distal end attachment structure for releasably securing the handle assembly to the head assembly.
The head assembly includes a rotary knife blade, a blade housing for rotatably supporting the rotary knife blade and a frame body. At a proximal end, the frame body includes a mating attachment structure that receives the distal end attachment structure of the handle assembly to releasably secure the handle and head assemblies. At a distal end, the frame body includes a mounting pedestal for detachably mounting the blade housing. The frame body also defines a cavity to support a gear train for rotatably driving the rotary knife blade. The frame member supports the hand grip which is grasped by an operator and used to manipulate the power operated rotary knife.
Further discussion of power operated rotary knives is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,154 to Decker et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,511 to Decker, both assigned to the assignee of the present application. Both U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,154 to Decker et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,511 to Decker are incorporated herein in their respective entireties by reference.